Battery damage indicator

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for indicating battery damage. A battery may comprise an odorant and/or visible indicator material configured to be released in response to battery damage. The battery may be configured to release the odorant and/or visible indicator in response to damage to the battery housing, a cell or cells in the battery, a seal of the battery, or any other specific component of the battery. The odorant and/or visible indicator may be stored in free space in the battery housing, a battery cell, or other battery component. The battery may be configured to emit an audible and/or visible indication of battery damage in addition to releasing the odorant and/or visible indicator.

If an Application Data Sheet (ADS) has been filed on the filing date ofthis application, it is incorporated by reference herein. Anyapplications claimed on the ADS for priority under 35 U.S.C. §§119, 120,121, or 365(c), and any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent,etc. applications of such applications, are also incorporated byreference, including any priority claims made in those applications andany material incorporated by reference, to the extent such subjectmatter is not inconsistent herewith.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to and/or claims the benefit of theearliest available effective filing date(s) from the following listedapplication(s) (the “Priority Applications”), if any, listed below(e.g., claims earliest available priority dates for other thanprovisional patent applications or claims benefits under 35 USC §119(e)for provisional patent applications, for any and all parent,grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the PriorityApplication(s)). In addition, the present application is related to the“Related Applications,” if any, listed below.

PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

None

RELATED APPLICATIONS

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/837,695, entitled BATTERY DAMAGEINDICATOR, naming William D. Duncan, Roderick A. Hyde, Jordin T. Kare,and David B. Tuckerman as inventors, filed Mar. 15, 2013, is related tothe present application.

The United States Patent Office (USPTO) has published a notice to theeffect that the USPTO's computer programs require that patent applicantsreference both a serial number and indicate whether an application is acontinuation, continuation-in-part, or divisional of a parentapplication. Stephen G. Kunin, Benefit of Prior-Filed Application, USPTOOfficial Gazette Mar. 18, 2003. The USPTO further has provided forms forthe Application Data Sheet which allow automatic loading ofbibliographic data but which require identification of each applicationas a continuation, continuation-in-part, or divisional of a parentapplication. The present Applicant Entity (hereinafter “Applicant”) hasprovided above a specific reference to the application(s) from whichpriority is being claimed as recited by statute. Applicant understandsthat the statute is unambiguous in its specific reference language anddoes not require either a serial number or any characterization, such as“continuation” or “continuation-in-part,” for claiming priority to U.S.patent applications. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Applicantunderstands that the USPTO's computer programs have certain data entryrequirements, and hence Applicant has provided designation(s) of arelationship between the present application and its parentapplication(s) as set forth above and in any ADS filed in thisapplication, but expressly points out that such designation(s) are notto be construed in any way as any type of commentary and/or admission asto whether or not the present application contains any new matter inaddition to the matter of its parent application(s).

If the listings of applications provided above are inconsistent with thelistings provided via an ADS, it is the intent of the Applicant to claimpriority to each application that appears in the Priority Applicationssection of the ADS and to each application that appears in the PriorityApplications section of this application.

All subject matter of the Priority Applications and the RelatedApplications and of any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent,etc. applications of the Priority Applications and the RelatedApplications, including any priority claims, is incorporated herein byreference to the extent such subject matter is not inconsistentherewith.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to systems and methods for indicating batterydamage. More specifically, this disclosure relates to odorants, visibleindicators, and/or audible signals that indicate a battery has beendamaged.

SUMMARY

Batteries, particularly high energy rechargeable batteries, are inwidespread use in consumer electronics and electric or hybrid-electricvehicles. As electric and hybrid-electric vehicles become moreprevalent, an increase in the number and size of high energyrechargeable batteries is expected. One concern with high energyrechargeable batteries is the safety of a battery. For example, reportsof fires caused by damaged lithium ion batteries have been increasing asbatteries become more widespread. Similarly, damaged batteries are ofparticular concern to emergency response personnel responding to anaccident involving an electric vehicle. Accordingly, it is advantageousto provide a system and method for indicating battery damage withouthaving to physically inspect the battery or its components.

In some embodiments, a battery may comprise a battery damage indicatorconfigured to release an odorant in response to battery damage. Thebattery damage indicator may be configured to release the odorant inresponse to damage to the battery housing, a cell or cells in thebattery, a seal of the battery, or any other specific component of thebattery. In some embodiments, the odorant may be stored in free space inthe battery housing, a battery cell, or other battery component. Inother embodiments, the damage indicator may comprise a dedicatedcontainer configured to store the odorant. In some embodiments, thebattery damage indicator may be configured to emit an audible and/orvisible indication of battery damage in addition to releasing theodorant.

In some embodiments, a battery may comprise a battery damage indicatorconfigured to release a visible indicator in response to battery damage.The battery damage indicator may be configured to release the visibleindicator in response to damage to the battery housing, a cell or cellsin the battery, a seal of the battery, or any other specific componentof the battery. In some embodiments, the visible indicator material maybe stored in free space in the battery housing, a battery cell, or otherbattery component. In other embodiments, the damage indicator maycomprise a dedicated container configured to store the visible indicatormaterial. In some embodiments, the battery damage indicator may beconfigured to emit an audible indication of battery damage and/or anodorant in addition to releasing the visible indicator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a cutaway view of an example battery including abattery damage indicator.

FIG. 2A illustrates a battery configured to release an odorant.

FIG. 2B illustrates a battery configured to release a visible indicatormaterial.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored in the battery housing.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored in the battery cell.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored within a battery housing wall.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material configured to surround the battery cell.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material configured to surround the battery cell.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored in a plurality of storage compartmentswithin the battery.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored in a plurality of sealed volumes.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored in a honeycomb structure.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material comprising a plurality of precursorchemicals.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example battery including a battery damageindicator test mechanism.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example battery including a battery damageindicator configured to emit an audible alarm in response to batterydamage.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example battery including a battery damageindicator configured to emit an audible alarm in response to batterydamage.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example battery including a battery damageindicator configured to provide an electrical signal in response tobattery damage.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example battery including a battery damageindicator configured to stop sending an electrical signal in response tobattery damage.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example battery including a battery damageindicator configured to provide a radio signal in response to batterydamage.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some of the infrastructure that can be used with embodiments disclosedherein is already available, such as general-purpose computers, computerprogramming tools and techniques, digital storage media, andcommunication networks. A computing device may include a processor suchas a microprocessor, microcontroller, logic circuitry, or the like. Theprocessor may include a special purpose processing device such asapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable arraylogic (PAL), programmable logic array (PLA), programmable logic device(PLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other customizableand/or programmable device. The computing device may also include amachine-readable storage device such as non-volatile memory, static RAM,dynamic RAM, ROM, CD-ROM, disk, tape, magnetic, optical, flash memory,or other machine-readable storage medium. Various aspects of certainembodiments may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or acombination thereof.

The embodiments of the disclosure will be best understood by referenceto the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numeralsthroughout. The components of the disclosed embodiments, as generallydescribed and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged anddesigned in a wide variety of different configurations. Furthermore, thefeatures, structures, and operations associated with one embodiment maybe applicable to or combined with the features, structures, oroperations described in conjunction with another embodiment. In otherinstances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shownor described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of this disclosure.

Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments of thesystems and methods of the disclosure is not intended to limit the scopeof the disclosure, as claimed, but is merely representative of possibleembodiments. In addition, the steps of a method do not necessarily needto be executed in any specific order, or even sequentially, nor do thesteps need to be executed only once.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cutaway view of an example battery. The battery mayinclude a battery housing 102, a battery cell 104, a seal 106, and otherconventional battery components. In various embodiments, the batteryhousing 102 and/or battery cell 104 may include an odorant and/orvisible indicator material, described below, that is configured to bereleased when the battery is damaged. The example battery of FIG. 1further includes a vent 108 to allow the odorant and/or visibleindicator material to be released from the battery housing 102. As shownin the example of FIG. 1, the vent 108 is coupled with the outside ofthe battery housing 102. However, in some embodiments, the vent 108 maybe coupled with or integrated into the seal 106, or at various otherlocations on or throughout the battery as appropriate to indicate damageto one or more parts of the battery. In some embodiments, multiple ventsmay be coupled with a battery. Alternatively, a burst disk, or otherrelease mechanism, configured to release the odorant and/or visibleindicator material may be used in place of vent 108.

The example battery of FIG. 1 may be, for example, configured to providepower to a vehicle and may therefore be configured to be installed in anelectric vehicle (EV) or a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). In otherembodiments, the battery may be configured to power a portable computingdevice, such as a notebook computer, netbook, tablet, etc. In someembodiments, the battery may be configured to be incorporated into apersonal electronic device, such as a mobile phone, tablet, personaldigital assistant, audio/video players, etc. While specific examples ofbattery uses are provided above, it should be apparent that thetechniques introduced herein may be applied to any potentially hazardousbattery or battery assembly.

FIG. 2A illustrates a battery configured to release an odorant 202. Theodorant 202, when released, may provide an olfactory warning that thebattery has been damaged. This olfactory warning may provide a similarindication of potential danger to emergency responders as that of theodorants introduced into natural gas. In some embodiments, propanol,various mercaptans, (e.g., methyl, ethyl, i-propyl, n-propyl, n-butyl,i-butyl, t-butyl, etc.), dimethyl sulfide (or various other sulfides,including H2S), thiophane, tetrahydrothiophene, butyl or ethylisocyanide mixed with various combinations of 2-hexyne and 1 penthyne,or any other known or custom designed odorant may be used as odorant202.

In some embodiments, the odorant 202 may be stored as a liquid. In otherembodiments, the odorant 202 may be stored as a gas or in combinationwith an inert carrier gas. In some embodiments the odorant 202 may bestored under pressure. In some embodiments, the odorant 202 may bestable until exposed to particular conditions. For example, the odorant202 may be stable until exposed to ambient air or to a specifictemperature that may indicate battery damage. In other embodiments, theodorant 202 may be volatile prior to being released or exposed to anydefined conditions. In other embodiments, the battery may include two ormore precursor chemicals that are configured to be released in responseto battery damage, to react, when mixed, and create the odorant 202. Inother embodiments, the battery may include one or more precursorchemicals configured to react to defined conditions, such as exposure toambient air or humidity, or heat above a threshold temperature, andcreate the odorant 202.

FIG. 2B illustrates a battery configured to release a visible indicatormaterial 204. The visible indicator material 204, when released, mayprovide a visible warning that the battery has been damaged. In someembodiments, the visible indicator material 204 may be functionallyliquid, i.e., a visible indicator material that flows from the batterybut is not airborne. In other embodiments, the visible indicatormaterial 204 may be airborne such as smoke, a fine powder dispersed bypressurized gas, a mist, an aerosol, or the like.

In some embodiments, the visible indicator material 204 may comprise aliquid. The liquid may include a permanent dye, a removable dye, apigment, a fluorescent material, a luminescent material, and/or a fireretardant. In some embodiments, the visible indicator material 204 maycomprise a powder. The powder may include a permanent dye, a removabledye, a pigment, a fluorescent material, a luminescent material, and/or afire retardant. In some embodiments, the visible indicator material 204may comprise a foam. In some embodiments, the visible indicator material204 may comprise a foaming agent that produces foam when released. Insome embodiments, the foaming agent may be an additive (e.g., CO₂) thatproduces bubbles in a liquid visible indicator material and/or anadditive that causes the bubbles that reach the surface of the liquidvisible indicator material to be stable and form a foam (e.g., as in adetergent or glycerin). The foam may include a permanent dye, aremovable dye, a pigment, a fluorescent material, a luminescentmaterial, and/or a fire retardant.

In some embodiments, the visible indicator material 204 may be stored asa liquid. In other embodiments, the visible indicator material 204 maybe stored as a gas or in combination with an inert carrier gas. In someembodiments the visible indicator material 204 may be stored underpressure, e.g., the visible indicator material may be stored underpressure using a dissolved or discrete propellant. In some embodiments,the visible indicator material 204 may be stable until exposed toparticular conditions. For example, the visible indicator material 204may be stable until exposed to ambient air or to a specific temperaturethat may indicate battery damage. In other embodiments, the visibleindicator material 204 may be volatile prior to being released orexposed to any defined conditions. In other embodiments, the battery mayinclude two or more precursor chemicals that are configured to bereleased in response to battery damage, to react, when mixed, and createthe visible indicator material 204. In other embodiments, the batterymay include one or more precursor chemicals configured to react todefined conditions, such as exposure to ambient air or humidity, or heatabove a threshold temperature, and create the visible indicator material204.

In some embodiments, the vent 108 may release an odorant 202 and avisible indicator material 204 in combination. In some embodiments, thevent 108, or multiple vents, may release an odorant 202 and a visibleindicator 204 separately, but in response to a single instance ofbattery damage. In some embodiments, a plurality of precursors maycreate both the odorant 202 and the visible indicator material 204 whenmixed in response to battery damage.

In various embodiments, the battery may be configured to release theodorant 202 and/or visible indicator material 204 in response to damageto the battery housing 102. Damage to the battery housing 102 mayinclude, for example, a puncture, a crack, excessive heat, deformation,etc. In other embodiments, the battery vent 108 may be configured toallow an odorant 202 and/or visible indicator material 204 to escape thebattery housing in response to damage to a battery cell 104. Damage tothe battery cell 104 may include, for example, a puncture, a crack,excessive heat, deformation, etc. In other embodiments, the battery maybe configured to release the odorant 202 and/or visible indicatormaterial 204 in response to damage to a seal 106. Damage to the batteryseal 106 may include, for example, a puncture, a crack, excessive heat,deformation, etc.

In various embodiments, the battery may include passive elementsconfigured to indicate battery damage. For example, the battery maycomprise a dedicated container or containers (as described in moredetail below) configured to store the odorant 202 and/or visibleindicator material 204. When the battery is damaged, the dedicatedcontainer storing the odorant 202 and/or visible indicator material 204may also be damaged thereby releasing its contents to indicate damage tothe battery.

In other embodiments, the battery may include active elements configuredto detect certain conditions and trigger a release of the odorant 202and/or visible indicator material 204. For example, in one embodiment,the battery may include an accelerometer configured to detect theacceleration and deceleration of the battery. In response to detectingan acceleration or deceleration of the battery above a certain thresholdthat may indicate damage, the accelerometer may trigger a release of theodorant 202 and/or visible indicator material 204. In anotherembodiment, the battery may include a force meter, a strain sensor,and/or a fracture sensor configured to measure a mechanical forceapplied to the battery and trigger a release of the odorant 202 and/orvisible indicator material in response to a force greater than a definedthreshold. In some embodiments, the battery may include an electrolytesensitive actuator or chemical sensor configured detect electrolyte andto release the odorant 202 and/or visible indicator material 204 inresponse to detecting electrolyte outside of the battery cell 104. Invarious embodiments, the active elements of the battery may be locatedon or within the battery. In other embodiments, the active elements maybe located remotely from the battery and may indicate battery damage bytransmitting electrical or other signals.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored in the battery housing. As shown inthe example of FIG. 3, the odorant 202 and/or visible indicator material204 may be stored in a dedicated container or containers 302 in freespace within the battery housing 102. In various embodiments, thededicated container 302 may include a vial, a tube, a bladder, or thelike. In some embodiments, the dedicated container 302 may be formed ofa rigid material, such as plastic or glass, configured to break andrelease the odorant 202 and/or visible indicator material 204 inresponse to battery damage. While FIG. 3 depicts the odorant 202 and/orvisible indicator material 204 being stored in a dedicated container, inother embodiments, the odorant 202 and/or visible indicator material 204may be stored in the free space of the battery housing 102 without beingseparately contained in a dedicated container.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored in the battery cell. As shown in theexample of FIG. 4, the odorant and/or visible indicator material may bestored in free space within a battery cell 104. While FIG. 4 depicts theodorant and/or visible indicator material being stored in free space inthe battery cell, in other embodiments, the odorant and/or visibleindicator material may be stored in a dedicated container or containersin the free space of a sealed battery cell. In various embodiments, thededicated container may include a vial, a tube, a bladder, or the like.In some embodiments, the dedicated container may be formed of a rigidmaterial, such as plastic or glass, configured to break and release theodorant and/or visible indicator material in response to battery damage.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored within a battery housing wall. In someembodiments, the battery housing 102 may be formed of a plurality ofbattery housing walls 504 and 506. As shown in FIG. 5, the odorant 202and/or visible indicator material 204 may be stored in a dedicatedcontainer or containers 502 in free space within the space betweenbattery housing walls 504 and 506. In various embodiments, the dedicatedcontainer 502 may include a vial, a tube, a bladder, or the like. Insome embodiments, the dedicated container 502 may be formed of a rigidmaterial, such as plastic or glass, configured to break and release theodorant 202 and/or visible indicator material 204 in response to batterydamage. While FIG. 5 depicts the odorant 202 and/or visible indicatormaterial 204 being stored in a dedicated container 502, in otherembodiments, the odorant 202 and/or visible indicator material 204 maybe stored in the free space between battery housing walls 504 and 506without being separately contained in a dedicated container.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material configured to surround the battery cell. Asshown in FIG. 6, the battery cell 104 may be surrounded by a sealedwrapper 602. In some embodiments, the sealed wrapper 602 may surroundall of the battery cells, a single battery cell, or a subset of thebattery cells. In other embodiments, multiple sealed wrappers maysurround various groups of battery cells. In some embodiments, thesealed wrapper may contain an odorant and/or visible indicator material604. The odorant and/or visible indicator material 604 of FIG. 6 isshown occupying free space between battery cells 104, however, asdescribed above, the odorant and/or visible indicator material may bestored in a dedicated container within the sealed wrapper 602. Thesealed wrapper 602 may be configured to release the odorant and/orvisible indicator material 604 in response to battery damage. In someembodiments, the sealed wrapper itself may be damaged and thereforerelease the odorant and/or visible indicator material 604, indicatingpossible battery damage.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material configured to surround the battery cell.Similar to FIG. 6 described above, the battery cell 104 in the exampleof FIG. 7 may be surrounded by a sealed wrapper 702. However, as shownin FIG. 7, the sealed wrapper 702 may include multiple walls whichsurround the battery cells 104 and the odorant and/or visible indicatormaterial 704 may be stored between the sealed wrapper walls.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored in a plurality of storage compartmentswithin the battery. In various embodiments, the battery may include aplurality of storage compartments 802 configured to store the odorantand/or visible indicator material 804. The odorant and/or visibleindicator material 804 may be stored freely within the storagecompartments 802 or may be further enclosed in a dedicated containerwithin the storage compartments 802. In one embodiment, the battery mayinclude a plurality of small storage compartments 802 (e.g., microspherecompartments), each including an amount of the odorant and/or visibleindicator material 804. In response to battery damage, a subset of themicrosphere compartments may be damaged and therefore release theircontents to indicate battery damage. In a case of severe battery damage,more of the small storage compartments 802 may be damaged and a greateramount of odorant and/or visible indicator material may be released,thereby indicating the extent of the damage.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored in a plurality of sealed volumes. Insome embodiments, the storage compartments discussed above may be formedof a plurality of sealed volumes 902. In some embodiments all or part ofthe sealed volumes may be filled with an odorant and/or visibleindicator material 904. In one embodiment, a pliable material having aplurality of regularly spaced sealed volumes 902 (e.g., bubble wrap) maywrap battery components, such as the battery housing 102 or the batterycells 104, and be used to store the odorant and/or visible indicatormaterial. In a case of severe battery damage, more of the sealed volumes902 may be damaged and a greater amount of odorant and/or visibleindicator material may be released, thereby indicating the extent of thedamage.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored in a honeycomb structure. Batteriesmay be constructed using a honeycomb structure in the battery housing102 and/or battery cells 104. In some embodiments, the chambers 1002 ofthe honeycomb structures used in the battery may be used to storeodorant and/or visible indicator material 1004. As with the plurality ofsealed volumes, in a case of severe battery damage, more of thehoneycomb structure's chambers 1002 may be damaged and a greater amountof odorant and/or visible indicator material 1004 may be released,thereby indicating the extent of the damage.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example battery including an odorant and/orvisible indicator material comprising a plurality of precursorchemicals. As describe above, in some embodiments, the battery mayinclude two or more precursor chemicals 1102 and 1104 that areconfigured to be released in response to battery damage, to react, whenmixed, and create the odorant and/or visible indicator material. Inother embodiments, the battery may include one or more precursorchemicals configured to react to defined conditions, such as exposure toambient air or humidity, or heat above a threshold temperature, andcreate the odorant and/or visible indicator material.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example battery including a battery damageindicator test mechanism. In various embodiments, a battery thatincludes an odorant and/or visible indicator material may include a testmechanism in order to test the functionality of the odorant and/orvisible indicator material. While FIG. 12 shows various examples of testmechanisms, it should be understood that the test mechanisms may beemployed in any combination and with other known test mechanisms notspecifically disclosed here. In one embodiment, the battery may includea test mechanism configured to release a test portion of the odorant 202and/or visible indicator material (not shown) to determine whether theodorant and/or visible indicator material is functional. In someembodiments, the test mechanism may include a mechanical actuator, suchas push button 1202, configured to initiate a test of the odorant and/orvisible indicator material. In other embodiments, the test may beinitiated by an electrical signal, a thermal event, etc. In someembodiments, the test mechanism may include a status indicator, such aslight 1204, that indicates a condition of the battery based onconditions sensed by sensors throughout the battery. In someembodiments, the test mechanism may include a sight window 1206 so alevel of the odorant and/or visible indicator material may be visuallyinspected. In other embodiments, the test mechanism may include apressure gauge 1208 configured to indicate a pressure of odorant and/orvisible indicator material stored in the battery.

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate an example battery including a battery damageindicator configured to emit an audible alarm in response to batterydamage. In various embodiments, the battery, in combination with orseparate from releasing an odorant and/or visible indicator material,may indicate battery damage by producing an audible alarm (depicted inthe example of FIG. 13 as sound waves 1302). In one embodiment, thebattery damage indicator may include a speaker 1304 or other audiblealarm producing element. As shown in FIG. 14, the audible alarm 1302 maybe produced by the odorant 202 and/or visible indicator material ventingthrough an aerophone 1402.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example battery including a battery damageindicator configured to provide an electrical signal in response tobattery damage. In various embodiments, the battery, in combination withor separate from releasing an odorant and/or visible indicator material,may indicate battery damage by producing an electrical signal. In someembodiments, the electrical signal may be provided by closing a contactin response to detecting battery damage. In other embodiments, theelectrical signal may be provided by the active sensors, such as anaccelerometer, a strain sensor, a sensor configured to detect thepresence of the odorant and/or visible indicator material, etc., asdiscussed above. The electrical signal may be, for example, an analogsignal such as a voltage, a digital signal, or the like. As illustratedin the example of FIG. 15A, the electrical signal may be used toprovide, at the battery, an indication 1502 of battery damage. Asillustrated in the example of FIG. 15B, the electrical signal may beused to provide, at a location remote from the battery, an indication1502 of battery damage. The electrical signal may include informationrelating to the condition of the battery which may be displayed locallyor remotely.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example battery including a battery damageindicator configured to stop sending an electrical signal in response tobattery damage. As illustrated in the example of FIG. 16, the batterymay be configured to continuously send an electrical signal duringnormal operation of the battery. The battery damage indicator mayinclude a switch 1602, or the like, that is closed during normaloperation and which provides an electrical signal to an indicator 1604that the battery is operating normally. In response to battery damage,as illustrated in FIG. 16B, the switch may be moved an open position andthe indication of normal battery operation is no longer received at theindicator 1604.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example battery including a battery damageindicator configured to provide a radio signal in response to batterydamage. In some embodiments, the battery may be configured to emit aradio signal 1702. The radio signal may include information relating tothe condition of the battery, for example whether battery damage hasbeen detected.

This disclosure has been made with reference to various exampleembodiments, including the best mode. However, those skilled in the artwill recognize that changes and modifications may be made to the exampleembodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.While the principles of this disclosure have been shown in variousembodiments, many modifications of structure, arrangements, proportions,elements, materials, and components may be adapted for a specificenvironment and/or operating requirements without departing from theprinciples and scope of this disclosure. These and other changes ormodifications are intended to be included within the scope of thepresent disclosure.

The foregoing specification has been described with reference to variousembodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciatethat various modifications and changes can be made without departingfrom the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, this disclosureis to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense,and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scopethereof. Likewise, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problemshave been described above with regard to various embodiments. However,benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that maycause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed as a critical, a required, or anessential feature or element. The scope of the present invention should,therefore, be determined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A battery comprising: an enclosed batteryhousing; an external set of battery terminals coupled to the batteryhousing; a battery cell disposed in the battery housing; and a visibleindicator material disposed within the battery housing; wherein thevisible indicator material comprises at least one of a liquid, a powder,or a foam; wherein the battery is configured to release the visibleindicator material from an interior portion of the battery housing tothe atmosphere in response to battery housing damage; and wherein thevisible indicator material is spatially separated from electrolyteswithin the battery cell.
 2. The battery of claim 1, wherein the visibleindicator material is disposed within the battery cell.
 3. The batteryof claim 1, wherein the visible indicator material comprises a liquid.4. The battery of claim 1, wherein the visible indicator materialcomprises a liquid.
 5. The battery of claim 1, wherein the visibleindicator material comprises a liquid.
 6. The battery of claim 1,wherein the visible indicator material comprises an odorant.
 7. Thebattery of claim 1, wherein the visible indicator material comprises afire retardant.
 8. The battery of claim 1, wherein the battery housingcomprises a free space configured store the visible indicator material.9. The battery of claim 1, wherein the battery cell comprises a freespace configured store the visible indicator material.
 10. The batteryof claim 1, wherein the battery housing comprises a plurality of wallsincluding a free space therebetween, and wherein the free space isconfigured to store the visible indicator material.
 11. The battery ofclaim 1, wherein the battery comprises a dedicated container configuredto store the visible indicator material.
 12. The battery of claim 1,wherein the battery comprises a sealed wrapper configured to store thevisible indicator material, and wherein the sealed wrapper at leastpartially surrounds the battery cell.
 13. The battery of claim 1,wherein the battery comprises a plurality of storage compartments forstoring the visible indicator material.
 14. A battery comprising: anenclosed battery housing; an external set of battery terminals coupledto the battery housing; a battery cell disposed in the battery housing;a visible indicator material disposed within the battery housing; and adamage indicator configured to release the visible indicator materialfrom an interior portion of the battery housing to the atmosphere inresponse to battery damage; wherein the visible indicator material isspatially separated from electrolytes within the battery cell; andwherein the visible indicator material is selected from the groupconsisting of a liquid, a powder, a foam, or combinations thereof. 15.The battery of claim 14, wherein the battery damage comprises damage tothe battery cell.
 16. The battery of claim 14, wherein the batterydamage comprises battery cell deformation.
 17. The battery of claim 14,wherein the damage indicator comprises an accelerometer configured todetect when the battery is damaged based on a measured acceleration ofthe battery.
 18. The battery of claim 14, wherein the damage indicatorcomprises a force meter configured to detect when the battery is damagedbased on a measured force applied to the battery.
 19. The battery ofclaim 14, wherein the damage indicator comprises an electrolytesensitive actuator configured to detect when the battery is damagedbased on a presence of electrolyte outside of the battery cell.
 20. Thebattery of claim 14, wherein the damage indicator comprises a chemicalsensor configured to detect when the battery is damaged based on apresence of electrolyte outside of the battery cell.
 21. The battery ofclaim 14, wherein the damage indicator is configured to store thevisible indicator material under pressure.
 22. The battery of claim 14,wherein the visible indicator material is dispersed by a gas flow. 23.The battery of claim 14, wherein the damage indicator is furtherconfigured to release a test portion of the visible indicator materialin response to an external electrical signal when the battery housing isin an undamaged state.
 24. The battery of claim 14, wherein the damageindicator is further configured to emit an audible alarm in response tobattery damage.
 25. The battery of claim 24, wherein the batterycomprises an aerophone, and wherein the audible alarm is created by thevisible indicator material venting through the aerophone.
 26. Thebattery of claim 14, wherein the damage indicator is further configuredto provide an electrical signal in response to battery damage.
 27. Thebattery of claim 14, wherein the damage indicator is further configuredto provide a light signal in response to battery damage.
 28. The batteryof claim 14, wherein the damage indicator is further configured toprovide a radio signal in response to battery damage.
 29. The battery ofclaim 1, wherein the battery comprises a plurality of storagecompartments for storing the visible indicator material, and wherein theplurality of storage compartments comprise microsphere compartments. 30.The battery of claim 1, wherein the battery housing comprises ahoneycomb battery housing and wherein chambers of the honeycomb batteryhousing are filled with the visible indicator material.
 31. The batteryof claim 1, wherein the battery comprises a plurality of sealed volumesfor storing the visible indicator material.
 32. The battery of claim 31,wherein the sealed volumes of the plurality of sealed volumes areregularly spaced and each of the sealed volumes comprises a pliablematerial.
 33. The battery of claim 1, wherein the battery is configuredto, in response to battery housing damage, release the visible indicatormaterial from the interior portion of the battery housing to theatmosphere such that the visible indicator material is released from thebattery to contact the atmosphere but is not airborne.
 34. The batteryof claim 7, wherein the damage indicator is configured to, in responseto battery damage, release the visible indicator material from theinterior portion of the battery housing to the atmosphere such that thevisible indicator material is released from the battery to contact theatmosphere but is not airborne.